Cooke Carpentry & Contracting, Incorporated

April 10, 2015Dear *** *** and *** ***,
Please find a check in the amount of $19,with a statement and corresponding invoices that outline the payments and deductions made*** Building Products are holding your special order windows and will deliver to you at your conveniencePlease call *** at ###-###-#### to schedule delivery.Sincerely,Vicki CVice President and Treasurer

March 26, 2015
Dear [redacted],
This is in response to a complaint filed against Cooke Contracting, Inc. on March 7th. I’m not sure how much detail you require to answer this complaint, so I will provide a timeline of our dealings with the [redacted] in relation to the complaint...

and let you decide.Bottom line, we are currently in the process of compiling all of the expenses and will refund **. [redacted] and **. [redacted] the remaining balance. The only other item that needs to be worked out is the shipment of special order windows from [redacted] Building Products that could not be canceled. We are hoping that the [redacted]’s will contact [redacted] Building Products to make arrangements for these to be delivered.
7/24/14 - [redacted] signed a ‘Budget Letter' showing that based on a square foot pricing, the job was estimated to cost about $200,000 with a plus or minus variable of 715%.
8/11/14 – Walk-thru with all sub-contractors. Logged over 80 hours of meeting with contractors, copying plans, compiling estimates, creating proposal and job Specs, etc.
9/4/14–ORIGINAL proposal emailed to them dated 9/4/14
9/11/14 – Email from [redacted] asking us to REVISE the proposal dated 9/4/14 into two phases.
9/18/14 – We sent REVISED Contract broken into Phases.
9/30/14 – Received email from [redacted] saying that they decided to go ahead with first contract (and wanted to meet with the HVAC contractor regarding ductwork) with the following outlined changes: (1) replace front window; (2) receive new interior doors; (3) delete laundry room cabinets and wire shelving; (4) install laundry room tile floor, new appliances, dryer vent replacement, new light fixture, slop sink and faucets, cover for existing access in wall to master bath plumbing, paint, installation of “wood beams’ not faux, include exhaust fan in powder room, add recessed lights in master bedroom, tile in shower rather than unit in hall bath, no drop ceiling in basement and tiled shower instead of one unit. She stated, “at this time, we are ready to go ahead with contract and submit first payment.”
10/7/14-Michael met with [redacted] and HVAC contractor and explained at this time, we would address all of her changes outlined in 9/30/14 email on change orders as the project progressed.
11/6/14 – Received signed contract with deposit check of $20,000. We immediately started process to get all special order items on order. **. [redacted] and **. [redacted] were asked to immediately choose the fireplace, flooring and cabinetry that would take the longest time to receive. Customers will made fully aware that we couldn't start the job until items were ordered.
12/13/14–Michael measured for special order windows and placed order with [redacted] Building Products for windows for project.
12/15/14-Met with [redacted] and ordered all of the cabinets from [redacted]. **. [redacted] issued a check for $10,353.10 for the allowance overage amount on the selected cabinetry.
1/20/15 - **. [redacted] emailed us flooring choices, which we were expecting at least one month prior to this, Flooring can take up to six weeks to come in once ordered.
1/22/15 (4 days prior to start date)— [redacted] email to us, “Due to unforeseen family circumstances, all aspects of the home renovation project are cancelled.”
1/26/15 - Project expected start date. We immediately started accessing damage control and took most of our time trying to accommodate Ms. [redacted]'s request to still take receipt of the [redacted] cabinets despite canceling the contract due to family circumstances. At this time, we met with a lawyer to work out a mutually reasonable resolution to settle our out-of-pocket costs and allow the cabinets to be kept on order and delivered when completed. On side note, we NEVER put these cabinets on hold, They were manufactured according to the manufacturer's timeline, and [redacted] stated to us that “they will not start the manufacturing process until a DELIVERY DATE is set'. Since she canceled the contract, we could not provide a delivery date. I have this on email from Lowe’s if necessary, The cabinets that were delivered to the **. [redacted]/**. [redacted] were from a different manufacturer and not relevant to the [redacted] cabinets.
2/11/15 – Since we could not work out a mutually agreeable resolution prior to Our Vacation, we decided that the best course of action was to cancel all of the undelivered cabinetry and refund the [redacted]’s the total amount to them after we paid all outstanding invoices,
2/11/15-2/28/15 – Michael and I traveled out of the country to South Africa for a wedding and were unavailable.
We are fully insured and certified contractors in PA. We have a waiting list of signed contracts, and in this case, we had a few jobs to complete prior to theirs, Again, they were fully aware of this. Our jobs are scheduled very meticulously and never ever do we start until ALL special order materials are on order. We’ve operated our business for over 30 years without advertising or marketing, on referral only basis To our knowledge, without one single Revdex.com or other complaint or legal battle. We stand our ground as a reputable company who would bend over backwards for any reasonable and do anything at all possible to make any customer satisfied. That is what we have built our business on and why customers hire us.Bottom line, we are currently in the process of compiling all of the expenses and will refund **. [redacted] and **. [redacted] the remaining balance. The only two items that needs to be worked out is 1) the shipment of special order windows from [redacted] Building Products that could not be canceled. We are hoping that the [redacted]s will schedule delivery of these windows immediately, and 2) We need to find out who paid for the [redacted] cabinets that were delivered to them for $3,731.68 on February 5, 2015.
Also, due to the 911 address change our legal address is [redacted], Stroudsburg PA[redacted]. If you have any questions or clarification, please feel free to contact me on my cell phone at [redacted].
Sincerely,Vicki C
Vice President and Treasurer

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
We have read the response from Cooke Contracting Inc. dated
March 26, 2015 regarding the above-referenced complaint.
We can go back and forth arguing points, which we believe is
a stalling tactic.  All we want is the
return of our deposits. - $26,071.42.  As
of today, which is more than two months since job cancellation notification,
deposits have not been returned to us.
Please note the following, which should be of significance.
We were NEVER given a start date for the job. In
fact, job was continuously postponed and delays caused unnecessary problems for us.On January 22, 2015 (11 weeks from initial
issuance of deposit), the Cookes were informed that we would no longer use
their company for renovations.
2.    
If the Cookes were out of the country in South
Africa for a wedding from February 11 through 28, 2015, when were they planning
to commence the job?
3.    
On February 6, 2015, following the advice of legal
counsel, we were prepared to sign a mutual release and final settlement with the
Cookes. After working out the details, their attorney informed us that they
rejected the offer.  The rejection was
due to a “contractor” discount on cabinet order, $1466.98, which they wanted to
collect.
This is not money that they paid out of
pocket; it was a discount offered by cabinet manufacturer – again, we believe
this was used as a stalling tactic. 
Further note that we discovered afterwards that we would receive the
very same discount from cabinet manufacturer if we had ordered the cabinets
ourselves.
4.    
On February 11, 2015 Vicki C[redacted] cancelled [redacted]
Cabinet order and received full credit from [redacted]. Restocking and cancellation
fees were NOT incurred as the Cookes NEVER scheduled the order for production
or delivery despite receiving our deposit on December 15, 2015.
5.    
On February 12, 2015, we received written notification
from their attorney confirming that [redacted] cabinet order and window
order from [redacted] Building Products were cancelled.
6.    
 We agree
to pay the $3731.68 for cabinets from Schuler, $325.00 for roof repair and
$225.00 for paperwork preparation.  This
was never an issue. 
It is clear that the Cookes are concerned about their
reputation; their actions determine their credibility.  Holding money without reason for an
undetermined amount of time is criminal. 
We know that there are violations of and legal ramifications
for their actions.  Isn’t it in their
best interest to return the money and move on?
Again we request the immediate return of our money, $ 26,071.42.
Thank you.
[redacted]
Complaint No. 
[redacted]
Initial Deposit                        $
20,000.00
Cabinet Order Deposit        
$10,353.10
Roof Repair Inv. 5258          (       325.00)
Paperwork Prep                    (       225.00)
[redacted] Cabinet Delivery     (   3,731.68)
REFUND DUE                         $
26,071.42